Ria vs the Ministry of Magic
by AliceSprings
Summary: When Leo discovers a way for demigods to use phones, the gang celebrate on a trip to England. But what troubles await them when they find out about the magical wizards and witches who live there. Takes place in the summer before the fifth year of Hogwarts. Better than sounds. Pjo/HP crossover. Rated T just in case.


**This is the third and final story about Ria. BE sure to read the others first. Enjoy!**

It was a year after we had declared our love, Nico and I were sitting on the beach. Leo came running over suddenly.

"Ria! Nico! I've finally done it!" he called, disturbing our peace and quiet. I stood up, annoyed. Everybody did this. I couldn't get two minutes alone with Nico...

"I figured out it was the aura surrounding demigods that broadcasts the signal to monsters. I added a rubber insulator to prevent it—" Leo began.

"Leo stop. That's all Greek to me, explain in English please." I said. Nico smiled at my joke, something most people think of as a rare sight. Those people don't know Nico.

"I figured out a way to use phones and computers." Leo explains excitedly. My eyes widened. It had been eight years now since I had used a phone properly. Since I had seen a social network sight, or looked up the news. Or _anything!_

I grinned. Nico stiffened beside me.

"I built a phone for everybody, all with personalised alerts and ringtones. And cool cases and designs!" Leo handed me a brand new touch screen phone. A Greek _eta_ appeared when I turned it on. Then I was staring at a picture of the sea, on my new lock screen.

"BOOM!" came my voice, adapted slightly to the speaker, but obviously a text alert. I grinned. I looked over at Nico's phone. It was equally as cool. He stared at it uneasily, unsure. Then I remembered. Right, 1940s kid.

I shooed Leo off, putting my new phone in my jacket—which was abandoned on the beach—pocket. I put Nico's with it. We walked far away from them, and resumed our peaceful moment.

Yet again we were disrupted.

A bang shook the ground. We shot to our feet in sync. My sword was in my hand and I was running, Nico right next to me, as fast as I could. Saxon met me at the edge of the forests.

 _Get on. Its Leo's experiment!_ He nickered. I swung myself on, reaching my hand out to Nico. He pulled himself aboard and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.

We shot into the sky.

We landed in Bunker 9. There, was a portal. Yes a portal. Leo saw us and grinned.

"Ahh, your here. You got the text?" he said, smirking. Text?

"No, we heard a bang and came to investigate, guessing it was one of your experiments gone wrong. Yet again." I said. I turned to Saxon. "Saxon, if you go get my jacket from the beach—you know, the black fake leather one—I'll give you proper golden apples, like the one I gave to Blackjack yesterday?" I bargained.

 _DEAL!_ Saxon said, speeding off. I l laughed. Saxon returned in seconds, holing my jacket on his horn. I took it off him and took out our phones. I opened mine hi and saw the message.

 _'Who wants to go to England? Meet at Bunker 9 in an hour!' Leo Valdez_.

I gasped. England!? My mother was English, but I myself had never been. This was going to be awesome.

"You guys still have twenty minutes, you can go pack." Leo said. I showed Nico, who had looked back and forth between us confused, the text. He grinned and we got onto Saxon, heading off.

We stopped outside Hades cabin first. Cabin 13 was a bit of a mess. I smiled and helped Nico pack quickly. Then we walked to Cabin 3. It was mostly clean. Except...

"Where's the shirt I wore on our fist date?" Percy asked Annabeth. I glared at him. All around his bunk, clothes and who knows what from his chest was poured over the floor. Nico choked down a laugh behind me. He went over to my chest and started packing. I came over to help him, scowling.

"Make him go on the London Eye. It's this huge Ferris Wheel. It'll scare the messiness out of him." Nico whispered to me. I paled slightly. _Huge Ferris Wheel_!? Oh gods! Nico, noticing, kissed my cheek lightly.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." He murmured. I focused on my packing, smiling. Soon, we were both ready. Last, I double checked that I had all of my golden apples. We went to meet Saxon. We then rode off to meet Leo.

"You guys are here. Good, we're nearly ready. Just waiting for Jason and Piper." He said. Then, Jason and Piper were with us.

"That damn unicorn is _fast_." Jason cursed. Saxon looked at me.

 _Can I impale him? Pretty please?_ I laughed and shook my head. Percy shook with laughter. _Or at least kick him?_

I shook my head, no. Percy ginned, nodding slightly. I sent my elbow into his stomach.

"He deserved it." I said to the staring Annabeth and Jason. "He wanted to let Saxon kick Jason." I explained. Annabeth sent her elbow into his stomach as well. I grinned. Annabeth really was one of my best friends.

Leo fired up his portal. It shimmered blue. I took a step forwards, Nico following me. Leo smiled and moved to let us through. Willing test subjects. Sigh.

I took a deep breath and stepped through.

It was like shadow travelling. Only not as dark or scary. It was just the speed. Thankfully, I was used to that by now. I landed in a deserted park. Nico landed a second later. We smiled at the surroundings. Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Leo and Calypso all landed soon afterwards.

"How do you two do that so easily?" Jason asked, falling over. Nico grinned.

"Practise." he said, pulling me closer to him.

We wandered through the park. Nico and I trailed behind, watching the other couples.

"Want to prank your brother?" Nico grinned. My eyes brightened and I nodded. I knew exactly how he meant straight away. This was going to be awesome. Nico led me to the shadows and hugged me to his chest.

We landed at the edge of Hyde Park. In the distance we, could see the others approaching. Enjoying the private moment, Nico gently pressed his lips against mine.

When the others came, Percy face palmed. I couldn't stop laughing. We eventually decided to split. Percy and Annabeth followed us off to the London Eye to chaperone. Piper, Calypso, Jason and Leo walked off to shop at Liberty. I wish I could have seen their expressions when they find out that Liberty was a clothes store.

We on the other hand, queued for London Eye tickets. Nico was right. It was _huge._ I was going to die

Thankfully, the place was basically empty. We grabbed our tickets and went to get on. It only took a few seconds.

It really was deserted. Nico led us through the nonexistent line to the very front. We got our own cabin.

Percy sat down in the middle, holding his stomach. Annabeth sat down next to him, pulling an arm around him. Nico led me over to the side of the glass.

The view was amazing. I took out my phone and snapped a quick picture. I focused on the view of the river. At least I'd be safe if Zeus did blast us out of the sky. Then I put my phone into my bag and leaned into Nico. This seemed like the perfect place for a quiet romantic moment.

Percy gagged in the background. Well, almost romantic.

The ride passed without fault. We got off perfectly as well. We walked down the riverside, looking for a restaurant. I spotted a random one called Giraffe. We checked out the menu and headed inside.

"Table for tw-" Annabeth began to ask the waiter.

"Table for four." Percy quickly insisted. I sighed as the rather bewildered waiter led us to a free table. Of course Percy wouldn't let us have a separate _table._ I grimaced at my overprotective brother.

"You're worse than Mark." I remarked. Mark wouldn't so much as let me and Nico _hold hands_ in his presence. Percy frowned deeply as me and Nico slid into the back of the booth together.

I managed to completely ignore Percy for the rest of the meal. Which wasn't too hard, considering he was glaring at me and refusing to speak.

When we left Giraffe, the riverside was _packed._ We headed to find the others.

I left a quick text for Calypso.

 _'Coming to Liberty, we're finished here. I think Percy might be sick soon x' Ria Phillips_

I smiled as we headed through the winding streets of London towards the shop. Percy glared at my back the whole time. When we got to the shop, I scanned the crowd for Calypso and Piper, who were shopping somewhere. I finally saw Cally (Calypso) , browsing some perfumes. I hurried over to her.

"Try this one, it smells exactly like the sea." I suggested, picking up a perfume and making her flinch. I laughed as she turned to me. She sniffed the perfume timidly.

"You're right, it does. I think I'll get it. I managed to swap my dollars for some English pounds. There's an ATM outside." Calypso told me. I nodded. Nico came over, smiling slightly.

"Nico, I'm going to go get some money from the ATM outside. I have my Olympus Executive card on me." I said, quickly moving outside to get the money.

I took out a hundred English pounds and tucked them safely in my purse. When I went back inside, Piper had joined the group and the y were talking.

"Hey, Pipes, what did I miss?" I asked, smiling.

"Leo and Jason ran off to some spare parts shop." Piper told me. Annabeth looked at her suddenly.

"Can you help me pick out some new clothes Beauty Queen?" She asked. Percy rolled his eyes.

"I think I'm going to go see a few landmarks for a bit." Calypso said.

"I'll come!" Percy said quickly. Anything to get out of shopping. Nico looked at me.

"What do you want to do Ria?" he asked me. I thought for a second.

"Let's just wander around. Maybe go to the aquarium or London dudgeons. " I suggested. Nico grinned.

"You two are—" Percy began to rant.

"Totally going on our own, right now. See you guys later!" I said, taking Nico's hand. We walked off, before Percy got the chance to say anything. We walked through a backstreet, to avoid being followed. For a while we just wandered about. Then I noticed a pub nearby.

"The Leaky Cauldron?" I said aloud. Nico smiled, also looking at it.

"It has that magical aura doesn't it. Want to check it out?" I nodded enthusiastically. This might get interesting. Snapped my fingers, forming a strong Mist around us. We walked into the pub together.

Inside was the oddest collection of people I'd ever seen. Most of them were drunk. I noticed a boy, about the same age as me, slipping through the crowd and out the back door. I frowned, and followed after him. Nico kept by my side, glancing around uneasily. When we reached the back door, the boy was standing outside. He glanced behind him, then pulled out a strange, wand-like stick and tapped it to a brick. I made careful note of which one. The bricks in the wall slowly crumbled away, clearing a path to another street. My eyes widened and I almost gasped. What in Hades was going on here!?

When the bricks had reassembled themselves. I stepped forwards. I pressed my hand to the right brick and watched the wall crumble to reveal the strangest assortment of shop's I've ever seen. In utter amazement, me and Nico stepped through.

It looked like something out of a story book. It took me a second to realise where I was.

"Diagon Ally." I whispered. It was real. The place I'd seen so many times in my dreams, was there, right in front of me. Of course it was real!

I spotted the boy moving through the crowd, keeping his head down. Nico took my hand.

"You know where we are?" he asked.

"Diagon Ally, I've seen it in a dream before. But not like…this." I replied. We walked through the crowd, following the boy. I kept my head down, but my eyes up, merging in with the crowd. The boy went inside a shop. We followed as quietly as we could.

"Ron, how about this one? It is rather cute." A girl with frizzy brown hair cooed. I smiled and looked around the shop. It was full of _animals_. Well animals is a bit of a rough translation.

There were creatures of every kind in the shop, mostly magical. Nico and I grinned in sync.

"Harry, don't touch that, you'll release the…" A boy with wild ginger hair—obviously Ron—warned the boy we had followed, Harry. But it was too late. A unicorn broke free of its cage and pointed it's horn threateningly around the room. I sighed and looked at Nico.

"Code 11?" I said. Nico nodded. We had started using numbers to code our different fighting techniques. Code 11 was first used to stop the newly rebuilt Festus from destroying the camp. Again when a herd of pegasi stampeded in February. We sprung into action.

My iron rod was in my hand in a second and I pushed the unicorn into one corner of the room. Nico shadow travelled onto its back and took a firm hold of the horn. My new leather rope swung around the unicorn's neck. Nico jumped off and helped me guide the frightened creature back into its cage. I took out a golden apple and placed it on the floor of the cage. The unicorn took a tentative bite of it. I sighed, relaxing, as Nico slid the bolt home.

"Didn't think we'd have to use that one again. Not after the February stampede." Nico said, also sighing.

"Who are you people!?" Came a voice from behind. I spun to face the other children, who were huddled against the wall.

"Ria Phillips and Nico di Angelo." I said. I held out my hand to the boy in front. "You are?"

"Harry Potter." He said it with great dignity and pride. Was he somebody famous? He shook my hand. "Do you two go to Hogwarts?"

"Hog-warts?" I asked completely lost.

"Blimey, Harry, do you reckon their muggles. They don't even know what Hogwarts is!" Ron exclaimed.

"Muggles? We're not muggles." Nico said, furiously. "We are demigods."

"Demigods?" it was their turn to be confused. I sighed.

"This is going to be a _long_ talk." I sighed.

We sat down at an ice-cream shop. Harry, Ron and the girl paid for them, since me and Nico had no 'Galleons', 'Sickles' or 'Knuts'.

"First, introductions. I'm Harry, as you know. This is Ron—"he pointed to the redheaded boy, "and Hermione." He pointed to the girl with frizzy brown hair.

"I'm Ria, and this is Nico." I said, pointing quickly to Nico. He took my hand under the table.

"You're demigods?" Hermione asked. I nodded curtly. "Who are your parents?" she said excitedly. I looked at Nico, not sure if I should answer. How did she know what I meant? I had a sudden feeling that Annabeth and Hermione would get on very well together.

"I'm a son of Hades. Ria is a daughter of Poseidon." Nico answered for me. He was frowning.

"So you two are technically cousins?" Ron asked. I wrinkled my nose.

"Technically." Nico said bitterly. "But nobody thinks about that. Otherwise it can be rather disgusting." He squeezed my hand.

"Well, we are wizards." Harry said, pointedly taking out his wand. I frowned.

"Wizards? Like 'abracadabra'?" I said incredulous.

"NO! Like proper wizards." Hermione said. "We attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! The finest in the world!" Was it me, or was there a hint of pride her voice. There was defiantly pride in her voice.

"Cool. We attend Camp Half-Blood." I said.

"The training camp for Greek demigods." Nico added in.

"Are there any other type?" Ron laughed. Hermione slapped his arm.

"Well, dur. They kind of implied that!" She reasoned.

"They act do much like Wise Girl and Seaweed Brain, don't you think?" I whispered to Nico.

"And this Harry kid acts like Sparky—I mean Jason." Nico corrected himself. I laughed quietly.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and opened it.

 _'If you two aren't at Hyde Park in TEN MINUTES you are dead. Both you and di Angelo!' Percy Jackson_

 _'Please be quick. Seaweed Brain is freaking out!' Annabeth Chase_

I grinned and showed Nico.

"Sorry guys, we have to go meet our friends. My brother is freaking out." I said to the three wizards.

"Where are you meeting?" Hermione asked.

I told her. They insisted on coming. Together, the five of us made our way to Hyde Park, as quickly as we could.

"Ria Phillips!? How long did you take to get here!?" Percy fumed at me.

"Eleven minutes, calm down. It took a little longer with company." I said, motioning for Harry, Hermione and Ron to come out. They moved away from their spot behind a building, Harry in the lead. He had his wand out, ready to use if the situation turned nasty. The talk was a repeat of the ice-cream shop.

"okay. Guys this is Harry, Ron and Hermione, the wizards and witch. You three, this is Percy, son of Poseidon, my brother; Annabeth, daughter of Athena, Percy's girlfriend. Jason, son of Jupiter, not Zeus, Jupiter; Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, Jason's girlfriend. Calypso, daughter of Atlas - don't ask; and finally, Leo, son of Hephaestus, Calypso's boyfriend." I said, taking a deep breath. The demigods and wizards regarded each other distrustfully.

"Come on guys! Brighten up!" Nico laughed. Percy, Jason and Leo all jolted into awareness at the sound.

"Now _that_ is something rare!" Percy burst out laughing.

"Right there, Bro!" Jason cried, doubling over.

"Looks like things are getting hot in here!" Leo called.

I put my arm protectively around Nico's shoulders. Annabeth elbowed Percy for the second time today. Piper glared at Jason and Calypso sighed.

"Why do we even go out with these idiots?" Calypso asked.

We had no idea where to stay for the night. Hermione suddenly spoke up.

"You could stay at the Leaky Cauldron." Hermione suggested. I grinned.

"Lead the way!" Me and Nico said in sync. Everybody but Percy grinned.

So we set off for the Leaky Cauldron.

When we got there, a giant was waiting. For a second, I wanted to pull out my sword. Then I saw his face.

He had a gentle smile under a mess of black beard. Harry, Ron and Hermione greeted him with familiarity. They were obviously good friends.

"Who are your friends Harry?" the giant asked. My shoulders slumped. Not this again...

"Well explain inside. It's a LONG story." Harry said.

"Well, I'm Rubious Hagrid. But everybody calls me Hagrid." Hagrid told us. I stepped forwards.

"Ria Phillips. The only one here who can be bothered to talk at the moment." I said, holding my hand out. Hagrid shook it warmly. We headed inside.

It wasn't as packed. I could easily pick out Ron's family, all redheads. Apart from them, the pub/Inn was empty.

We all sat down at the table. There six if Ron's siblings, five boys, one girl. The entire wizard family was silent as we sat.

"Ron who are your... friends?" His mother asked. Together, Ron, Harry, Hermione and I explained the entire ordeal and pointed names to faces. Then we were introduced to the Weasley family. Ron's little sister went first.

"I'm Ginny, Ron's little sister." I nodded and shook her outstretched hand. Then the twins came over to me.

"I'm Fred." Piped one, who I noticed was slightly taller than the other.

"I'm George!" the other exclaimed.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance!" they said together. Nico pulled me away from them. Next was Percy. I know what you're thinking. _But Percy is your brother!_ Well, as it turned out, both were called Percy

"Hallo, Miss Ria, I'm Percy, Ron's older brother." He seemed like the formal, snooty type. I shook his hand and moved on.

"I'm Charlie." The second to last Weasley brother told me, smiling. He had scars on his face and arms. "Dragon tamer." He explained. I shook his hand.

"Drakon killer, most of the time." I laughed. Charlie chuckled, obviously knowing what a drakon was.

"And, I'm Bill. I work at Gringot's Bank. But most of the time I'm travelling." The last boy said. He too had a scar on his face, long and thin. Knowing too much about scars, I didn't ask.

Ron's father came over to me.

"Arthur. Arthur Weasley. Pleased to meet you!" he greeted me. I smiled. "I work in the Ministry of Magic—" the government?—"in the muggle section. We study muggles and stop wizards from harming them." I nodded. That was kind of like what demigods did. Protected 'muggles' (who I assumed were normal people) from monsters and magic.

"I'm Molly. Ron's mother." And like that, we were introduced to everybody.

We all sat down, talking about various adventures.

"And I had to call Nico for help..." I was explaining how I'd gotten to Camp Half Blood to Ginny, Harry and Hermione, when Fred and George butted in.

"That's nothing! Remember the time we sneaked Dursley that tongue-swell toffee?" They said. Nico whispered to me.

"Don't they remind you of Travis and Conner back home?"

"Totally. Same attitude. Same sort of pranks." I said, grinning. When Fred and George bored of telling us their story, me and Nico continued ours. Soon enough, it was time for bed.

"Mrs Weasley, you really don't have to buy us rooms..." Annabeth began. But Mrs Weasley insisted. We all shared rooms.

Me and Calypso shared a room. After a while, Calypso poked me.

"Ria! Wake up." I sat up, startled.

"In Hades name, don't do that!?" I nearly shouted.

"I can't sleep. Tell me a story."

"How old are you, two?" I asked her sarcastically.

"Yes, two thousand. Now tell me a story." I sighed and began, a story I knew all too well.

"Ria never wanted to be a demigod." I began, telling my own full story. My brother abandoning me. My mother dying. On the streets. And finally the happy memories. The ones about Camp Half Blood. My new family and friends.

When I finished, Calypso stared at me. Then I heard something outside. Motioning for her to be quiet, I stood up, deliberately avoiding the creaky floorboards. I slipped my bracelet into my hand. With one single, fluid movement, I pushed the door open to reveal... Everybody. EXEPT the eldest three Weasley kids.

They all had a piece of string tucked in their ears, like earphones. There was a little model ear attached to them all. They were listening! I glanced around.

"You lot!" I said, pointing at Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Nico. "I expected better of you lot!" I raged

Leo looked offended.

"What about the McShizzle?" He asked, feigning hurt.

"The McShizzle is about to get a McNosebleed, unless he shuts up!" I growled.

Fred, George and Leo all paled. Nico grinned and went to stand next to me.

"I think we should leave poor Ria alone now." He said, slipping his hand into mine. The others, grumbling, dispersed.

Nico gave me a good night kiss and disappeared back to his room. Calypso stared at me.

"Callie, staring us rude!" I commented, my mood dark.

"Was all if that true?" she asked. I nodded. "And I thought _I_ had it hard on Ogygia." she muttered.

If I'm totally honest, I didn't get much sleep. But that meant no dreams so... YAY?

Me and Callie trudged down to breakfast. Hermione, Annabeth and Leo beat us to it. Calypso went to sit next to Leo. I sat down next to Annabeth, pulling out a golden apple. I ate it quickly. I threw core in the bin. Annabeth stared after it, then down at her gruel porridge. I handed her one. Nico came down next.

His hair was a mess, sticking up at all angles. When he sat down, I smoothed it down quickly. The irregular spiked stayed flat first try. When everybody was up and fed, we headed off into Diagon Ally.

It was quite empty. Bill took us to Gringot's, where we managed to trade in our drachma. Ron, Harry and Hermione all stared at the pure gold coins. Apparently, they were worth lots.

We went off to browse. Harry, Hermione and Ron all needed new robes for school. We headed to Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions.

The others, who were 'well bored' as Percy put it, went off with the Weasley kids. Me and Nico followed the trio, curious.

Madam Malkin's was huge. Robes for very literally _every_ occasion were there. We walked to the back to get the three fitted.

A plump woman was already fitting somebody else. The scrawny boy, looked bored and tired. Harry, Ron and Hermione frowned.

"Draco Malfoy." they hissed.

"Potter, what are you and your gang of idiots doing here?" Draco, the boy being fitted, asked, snide. I glared at him.

"And who are your little savage friends?" He continued. I. So. Wanted. To. Punch. Him. Nico's glare was absolutely deadly.

"What did you say about my girlfriend?" Nico said, his voice low and shaking with anger.

"I said that you and her are little savages." Draco answered. Wrong thing to say. I grabbed Nico's swinging arm and held him back.

"That'll only make it worse." I sad soothingly to him. I faced Draco. "Next time, I'll be the one throwing the punch. And my boyfriend sure as Hell won't stop me."

The boy closed his mouth. He had been about to say something.

"We'll be outside." I said to Harry, turning and leaving the shop, dragging Nico with me.

Piper cane over to us. I suddenly had a great idea.

"Piper... Can you help us with something?" I quickly explained my plan to her. This was going to be awesome.

A second later, Draco and the trio came out, glaring furiously at each other.

"I see you have another savage friend, Potter."

Piper glared at him. "Oh, go punch yourself or something." We waited as the charmspeak worked. Draco suddenly pushed himself hard in the eye. Nico grinned, wrapping his arm around my waist. The point was clear. He was making it clear that this was our payback. Unfortunately...

"Help, somebody! It's dark witches and wizards! They used the Imperious curse on me!" Draco hollered. Nico stepped away from me surprised. Only two people took any notice. One for them, an older man with a peg leg and a glass where limped over. He grinned mischievous at Malfoy.

"Then you should have worked harder in class to resist it!" he said moodily.

"I'm sorry to ask, but what is the Imperious curse?" I asked, looking confused. Nico and Piper were equally confused. The other man who seemed to be an official, came over just in time to hear me ask.

"Demigods hey? Well, missy, the Imperious curse lets you control anybody. Kina like what your friend did. Easy to mistake charmspeak for the Imperious curse." The man explained. "I'm Mad Eye Moody, by the way."

The officer man looked suspiciously at us. He took out his wand spoken to it like a microphone.

"I need assistance in Diagon Ally. Supposed use of the Imperious curse." He said. In seconds, we were surrounded. Jason flew in with Percy and Annabeth. Leo and Calypso were running from not too far away. I was about to take my bracelet off when...

The familiar fear of Shadow travelling set in, and I was flung through space, alone.

I landed in Hyde Park, shaking and gasping. It was dark, like night. Did that just happen? Nico landed next to me, panting. He staggered forward unsteadily.

I took hold of his shoulders, keeping him up right. Nico fell against me, burying his face in my neck. I wrapped my arms around him, sighing.

"How did you...?" I trailed off, unsure. Nico looked up at me desperately. I stayed silent, gently moving my thumb in a soothing circle on his arm. He sobbed gently and quietly.

"Sh, it's alright. Sh, we're safe." I chanted, over and over, as a mantra.

He kept sobbing. When he eventually stopped, he stood up straight, his face streaked with silent tears. He caught my face in between his hands and presses his lips against mine, ever so lightly. I frowned.

"Nico, the others..." I moved the words against his lips. He pulled me closer to him, pressing his lips harder to mine. We really had to go help... Oh who cares!

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer. Eventually, I broke away, gasping for air. Nico looked wild. For a mere second, neither of us spoke.

"Your hair is a mess again..." I sighed, reaching up to smooth down the irregular spikes. Nico took my hand gently.

"Let's find a place to stay." Nico suggested. We both had one place on mind. Nico pressed me to his chest, shadow travelling like we normally did.

The Leaky Cauldron was empty, except Tom, the innkeeper, who was already asleep. Nico and I snuck through the inn, to his old room.

It was, as any other place here. Empty. We walked in together. Nico pulled me onto one of the beds. I was asleep as soon as my eyes shut...

I woke up in Nico's arms, and it was the best feeling. I glanced up at his sleeping face. Asleep, he looked younger, innocent. Not as harsh and unkind as he led people to believe. I smiled at the thought and very carefully got up, detangling myself from his arms. He stirred and rolled over, but otherwise stayed as he was. I sat on the bed opposite, taking out my phone.

 _'Text back when you get the chance. What's going on? Really worried.' Ria Phillips._

No sooner than I had sent out the message, I got a dozen replies.

 _'We're in the Ministry of Magic. Somewhere underground.' Annabeth Chase._

 _'Thank the gods you're okay...' Percy Jackson._

 _'I hate being underground!' Jason Grace._

 _'Where are you?' Piper McLean_

 _'HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPP!' Leo Valdez_

 _'Please Hurry.' Calypso._

I read each message twice. Somewhere underground. There was one person who could help us with that.

 _'Leo, did you send phones to the Roman demigods?' Ria Phillips._

 _'Yes! Of course! Why does it matter!?' Leo Valdez._

I rolled my eyes at Leo's answer. Classic Valdez.

 _'What's Hazel's number?' Ria Phillips._

 _'Amazing plan! Good luck!' Annabeth Chase._

 _'06578 568 945' Leo Valdez._

 _'HURRRY!' Jason Grace._

I sighed, punching Hazel's number onto my keypad. I called her. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hazel... I need your help." I said, as quietly as I could, so as not to disturb Nico.

An hour later, I was standing outside the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for Hazel and Frank to get here. Then I spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

Ben collided with me, trapping me in a hug. I frowned, knowing that any second now...

"Get off of my girlfriend, before I give you a bloody nose." Nico said coolly from behind me. Ben quickly let go. I looked at him properly. He had _really_ changed. When I had met him he had been excitable (no change there apparently) and a half-decent fighter. Now there were scars on his face from monster attacks and a hardened look in his eyes. I strained to see Hazel and Frank. And was greeted be another surprise.

"Renaya!?" I called. The daughter of Bellona sauntered over, grinning. She pulled me into an embrace.

"You were so right about Ben." She whispered before letting me go.

"Where's Hazel?" I asked. She was the main component, the most important thing to the plan.

"Here!" Hazel piped appearing out of the crowd with Frank.

"We got your text. Gods, isn't that weird, demigods texting..." Frank said pensively.

"Hey, my brother and friends still need saving!" I said. Nico laughed, hugging me from behind. I still felt the urge to send my elbow into his stomach. If it was anybody else (even one of my brothers) I would.

"You're ruining the moment. Let it last!" Nico stage-whispered to me. I could tell he was grinning without even glancing at him. My phone went off, defiantly ruining the moment.

'BOOM!' went my text alert. Nico took my phone out of my pocket, keeping an arm around me. He held the screen in front of my face so I could check the text.

 _'We're somewhere under Whitehall in Central London. Harry, Ron and Hermione were taken by somebody named Kingsley Shaklebolt. We don't know where they are.' Annabeth Chase._

I sighed. Whitehall. That was on the other side of the River Thames. How did they _get_ there? I showed the group the text.

We set off, Frank and Ben bickering about how to get in. I glanced from Nico to Hazel, remembering how I shadow travelled last night. I looked at Nico, who gently squeezed my hand.

"You have your troubled face on." He said. I grimaced. "Yeah, that one. What's on your mind?"

I sighed.

"How did you shadow travel me last night? I'm glad you did, but _how_?" I asked.

"I don't really know. I had to get you out of there, I knew that. And just as I thought it, you disappeared. Scared me to Hades and back." He said, anguish filling his eyes.

"I didn't even know where I was travelling to when I came. My thoughts were slightly incoherent." He said, frowning.

"Just slightly?" I said playfully, trying to distract myself.

"You have such a big head!" Nico said, ruffling my hair. I grinned. "I always mean to crack down on you about it, but then you always look too beautiful and I get distracted."

"Will you two lovebirds shut it already. I'm gonna gag. And throw up." Renaya called back to us.

"Who said you had to listen?" I asked, mock pouting. Nico laughed, pulling me slightly closer.

Suddenly a text popped up on my phone.

 _'He only ever laughs around you.' Hazel Levesque._

I smiled.

 _'Who, Nico...?' Percy Jackson._

 _'Stop it, whatever your doing!?' Percy Jackson_

Oh, gods. I frowned, glaring at my phone.

 _'Shut up about that! What's going on?' Ria Phillips._

 _' We've been interrogated. Twice. One question, what is Azkaban?' Annabeth Chase._

I'll find out soon, I thought, spotting the giant shape of Rubious Hagrid . I smiled and waved to him. He came running, parting the crowds with ease.

"Where's Harry? And who are your friends? What's going on Ria?" he asked anxiously. His voice was quick and almost fearful.

"I don't know where Harry is. We're actually looking for him and the rest. Piper managed to get into trouble. On our vacation as well..." I sighed.

"They're probably at the Ministry of Magic." Hagrid sighed in sync with me.

"We know. We're headed there now, to sort this out." I said. Hagrid offered to show us the way. We all went off together, protected by my thin layer of mist.

When we reached the Ministry in no time. It was hidden under the toilets. Talk about gross.

Instead, Hazel took us to the edge of the Thames.

"Some help please, WaterGirl." Hazel called. A tunnel opened up, small and thin, straight to the bottom of the lake.

"There's a tunnel. Right at the bottom. Can you make it?" she asked me.

"With ease!" I piped. Why wouldn't I be able to? Nico took my hand.

"Ready?" he asked me.

"Hazel, Frank, Ben, Renaya, thank you so much, but we have to go alone. This is our problem. Go explore the city, and we'll come get you hen we're done here." I said, smiling at them. They all frowned.

"No arguments." Nico growled. I squeezed his hand gently.

Then, we leaped into the hole. The water swirled, coming close just in case. We stopped and inch from the ground, the water grazing out shoulders and arms. We fell the last inch or so, completely dry. We rushed into the tunnel.

We walked. Because it was easier. Because we didn't know where we were going. And then Nico might shadow travel us into the ground too far to one side, then we'd be screwed.

We walked onwards, squinting into the darkness. Then I saw a light up ahead. We ran towards it.

When we came there, I recognised the sort of place we were in. A prison.

I sighed, glancing furtively around. The place was almost empty except...

"Ria! You came!" Percy called, a little too loudly. All the others hushed him. I ran over, looking at the lock. It was powered by magic. I took my bracelet. The others shook their heads frantically, expecting me to cut through it. The magic wasn't for protection, it was built to make the lock unbreakable. Not prevent me from picking it. I tapped the key to the lock waiting as it transformed to match.

I plunged the key into the lock, twisting it this way and that. The lock clicked. I grinned, gently opening it.

"Come on, quick! We have to go find Harry, Ron and Hermione! I whispered. The others filed out.

"Ever find out what Azkaban is?" Annabeth asked me.

"Huge wizarding prison. Be glad you aren't there. From the way Hagrid described it..." I shuddered. Black robed figures that slowly suck the joy out of you. No escape, whatsoever.

We walked through the tunnelling system, following the directions I remembered. Eventually we saw another light ahead.

I walked in front. I grinned suddenly, reaching for my bracelet. I wonder...

A sea buckthorn wand sprung into my hand. My head told me about my new 'wand'.

 _It's made of sea buckthorn, with a phoenix feather magic base. Yes, the one you killed last year. It uses that feather._ The voice explained. It sounded like Roway. Maybe it was her, explaining it to me through the link of the bracelet.

I smiled. A list of words appeared in my hand suddenly. It was a list of spells. I could barely make out the first one.

"Lumos." I said, testing. A light appeared at the end of the wand, low but bright after the crushing darkness. We all heaved a collective sigh of relief.

"Quick, we need to move." Nico said, taking my free hand. I could hear Percy cursing in the background. I glanced at the paper.

"Silenceo." I whispered. The wand tip flared sea green, acknowledging who. Percy cut off suddenly. Nico grinned, glancing at the sheet.

We walked on, in total silence. I wasn't sure, but it felt like Annabeth was quite happy Percy was quiet for once.

When we got to the main hall of the Ministry of Magic, I was unsurprised. Mostly. I quickly told Annabeth to take everybody back to the cell. They would only make it worse by seemingly escaping.

Wizards in bright robes strolled this way and that. But I honestly didn't expect to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione straight away.

They called out to me, running over.

"How did you get here? Where did you go? What happened?" their questions bombarded me. I shook my head.

"No time. Who is the person holding the trial for my friends and brother?" I asked. Hermione grinned.

"It's Kingsley Shaklebolt of course! One of the head Aurors!" Harry answered for her. I sighed.

"Can I speak to him? Urgently!" I said. They hurried me off, Nico followed after me. Percy starts to follow. But Annabeth stopped him. I was glad I had put that silence charm on him.

We were led up a flight of backstairs. I honestly know how I managed to stay completely silent. It was probably Nico's hand, gripping mine hard, fearfully.

When we reached Kingsley Shaklebolt's office, I too was filled with trepidation. What sort of person would he be? Hermione knocked, grinning.

A dark skinned man with a calm, collected smile and bright blue and red robes opened the door, smiling down at us.

I suddenly smiled, my fears trampled. I had learnt how to tell a friend from an enemy, after a lot of experience. This man wasn't to be messed with, but he was just.

We were invited inside. Harry, Hermione and Ron sat down, but Nico and I remained standing. Io could feel how tense Nico was.

"What are you kids here about?" Kingsley Shaklebolt asked in a powerful voice. Nico flinched at the sudden volume.

"Our friends were wrongly taken by this ministry for a supposed crime." I answered.

"The demigods?" Kingsley guessed.

"Yes." I said. "One of my friends, Piper, was accused of using the Imperious curse, when in fact she wasn't. The technique she used is called Charmspeak, it is a rare gift of the children of Aphrodite, allowing them to charm others into doing their bidding."

Kingsley nodded.

"All of this was spoken by your friends. A boy called Percy Jackson spoke. Most think he was lying." I choked a laugh.

"My brother is a bit too stupid to come up with a lie like that!" I grinned. Hermione giggled.

"Maybe so, but other may disagree." Kingsley continued. "We wizards don't have such a high opinion of demigods." I laughed again.

"Why, when Merlin, the most famous of you wizards, was a demigod himself! A son of Zeus!" I said, annoyed. I had done my research last night, with the help of Chiron and Annabeth's siblings in Athena cabin. But still! Kingsley Shaklebolt grinned.

"Come with me, Miss…?"

"Ria. Ria Phillips. Daughter of Poseidon." I said. Nico stiffened distrustfully.

"Any you are, young man?" Kingsley Shaklebolt asked. Nico shook his head stubbornly.

"I'm sorry about him. This is Nico. As you can quite clearly see, he has trust issues." I said, eyeing Nico reproachfully. All four wizards looked at me for an explanation. "We've had a lot of bad experiences. Harpies in gas stations, manticores in libraries, Cerberus at the dog park." I shuddered. All bad experiences.

We set off yet again, this time guided by Kingsley Shaklebolt. Nico glared ahead, refusing to look at me. But he never let go of my hand.

We came to a room with high tiled ceilings and dark tiled floors and walls. A man sat on a high podium, glaring down at us. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. He had a round, flushed face and stubborn beady eyes. His mouth was set in a stubborn frown. But there was something not quite so obvious. This man was easy to manipulate. With flattery and subtle threats. Annabeth's trade. But, thankfully, one she had taught me.

I smiled politely at the man. He nodded to the centre of the room, where a chair sat. I walked over and sat down in it. I heard the buzzing of magic around me. Then a deep bleep. It couldn't recognise me. I relaxed, using the stronger aura of my demigod powers to boost the machine. It was dangerous, but...

A high beep sounded, finally recognising the blood in my veins.

"Ria Jasmine Munro, daughter of Giana Munro and Poseidon. Later adopted by Henrietta Phillips." Said a voice behind me, bitterly. I wanted to twist to see who it was, but there was no need. I knew that voice too well.

"Hi Giana, or I should say Mum." I spoke clearly. I had found out last night. And, if I was honest, I knew the reason my friends weren't free yet, was because of her. Her stopping them. Her hurting my friends. Oh no.

Nico stiffened either at my words or the woman's reaction.

"Well done. I must admit, it was awfully smart of your father, hiding you with a daughter of Hecate. But even her powers failed to keep you away from your mother." Giana said, coming into view. "Your mother who might seek to hurt you, just because she was a witch!" I frowned.

"I think your proving Poseidon's point for him." Nico muttered. "What sane father would leave his only daughter with a psychopath?"

Exactly my thoughts.

Giana continued to rant. Then she slipped up.

"And then mocking me by sending his son, his filthy demigod friends and my daughter into my territory! I couldn't let him get away with it!" She confessed. I smiled. I hadn't even had to speak. She had done it, and she'd just told the whole court it!

There were gasps all around me. The minister frowned. I stood up.

"Is there much more to say? My brother and friends were obviously framed!" I said loudly. Was I right? Of course I was.

"Yes. Yes defiantly!" the minister stuttered. "Somebody get the key!"

And with that, we were led off again. To a room. To wait.

I took off my bracelet and cursed, gripping it tightly. So much for a relaxing vacation. Nico walked over and wrapped his arms around me as I continued to curse and curse and curse. Eventually I tired and simply stood there, thinking. My mother. My mother had gotten my friends—no they were practically my family—abducted. Ripped away from me when I tried to spend time with them. ERG!

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching, but I couldn't care less.

"Ria, Nico, break it up! Now!" Percy shrieked, trying to pull us apart. I frowned and kicked him hard. Nico let me go, hiding a smile with his hand. I scowled at Percy.

"Killjoy!" I exclaimed. Annabeth laughed as she and the rest came in. The Ministry was providing us with a way home. I watched them carefully construct the portal Leo described to them. Leo, cursing, fiddled with something.

"What's that, Leo?" I asked, truly curious. I watched his hands pause for a mere second before returning to tinkering absently.

"It's a prototype." He said. "Well, the engine of a prototype. It was for this magical candy machine that sprouted magical candy. Each one turned you into a different animal..."

He was still speaking, I just wasn't listening. Soon the portal was ready.

It shone an odd purple that almost scared me. Nico, however, grinned, stepping forwards. I followed him timidly. I didn't particularly want to go first but...

I took Nico's hand, mustering all my courage into a smile. Together, we stepped through the portal.

The sensation was much the same. Fast and fun. But this time, I had the warmth of Nico's hand, comforting and gentle.

The first thing that came back to me when we landed was my hearing.

 _How dare you leave for three days and not give me my apples!_ Saxon raged. My vision cleared to reveal the unicorn, his face only inches from mine. I smiled, pulling out three of the unicorn's favourite treat.

"Thank you for waiting. Three days, three apples." I said, letting him eat them straight out of my hand.

He ate them, eyeing me suspiciously. I laughed. The others landed behind us, collapsing on the floor again.

Nico laughed with me, looking from the suspicious Saxon to the flushing demigods.

We were back at Bunker 9. In Camp Half-Blood. Safe. And the first thing I thought was...

"I'm gonna call Hazel, make sure she's okay." I said, whipping out my phone. Hazel answered on the second ring.

"Ria? What's up?" Hazel asked. I smiled.

"Sparky, at the moment. We just got back to camp and he's already flying." I laughed, watching Jason fly loops over Saxon's head. Saxon was timing when to rear...

"OI! Call off your stupid unicorn! Ria!" Jason screamed and Saxon head butted him across the sky. I laughed and pointed to Percy. "PERCY HELP ME!"

"But what's going on with you?" I asked.

"Well, we are arranging a way home thanks to your friends. Hagrid knows somebody who can get us to Camp Jupiter." She said.

"Cool. Have a safe trip." I said, hanging up. We spent most of the campfire explaining what had happened to Chiron. After we were finished, Apollo cabin were leading the sing-along. Nico and I disappeared off to out little beach.

And, like we had a year before, we lay under the stars, trapped in an unbreakable embrace.


End file.
